You know very
well that here in Metal Abyss we always try to find out good new bands
that we believe that may have a lot to offer o our music. So Andromeda
is one of this kind of bands and for sure if they keep it that way they
will dethrone some groups that they think they are or they will be the
next kings of prog metal music. We tried and we found David Fremberg, who is the
vocalist of this brand new band and he answered to the questions that we
had about the band. Please read below...

First
of all let me congratulate you on your exceptional new album. You might
know that we have rated it with 9/10 on our site. We are interested in
listening to a brief bio of the band….

D:
Thank you! The band started in 1999 with Johan (Guitar) alone. He got a
record contract after the label heard his demos. So with some help from
the company the band found Thomas (Drums) who knew Gert (Bass) and
Martin (Keyboard) and they recorded Extension Of The Wish with Lawrence
Mackrory (ex-Darkane) on vocals. He was just a hired gun for the album.
Afterwards they started searching for a permanent singer for the band
and found me through Martin. We met at the Music Academy where we both
studied and played together on a project. It clicked and as a whole band
Andromeda did some shows around in Europe. After that the French label
asked me to re-record all vocals for Extension.. and to add two more
songs for a France release. It came out at the end of 2001 there. This
should be out in the rest of Europe some time this year by the way.
After that we started working on our second album which now is out in
stores... That's about it...

I
noticed a huge improvement from your first record to the second one.
What was the driving force behind this big change?

D:
The big difference between the two albums is that Johan doesn't
write everything anymore. It's more of a band effort now. Everyone
contributes. Martin wrote a lot of the music and lyrics. I wrote some of
the lyrics and did vocal arrangements. Even Thomas came up with some
stuff that gave him credits on some songs. So its a totally different
thing. With this album we didn't have to compromise at all, it took
almost a year to record, and the record label gave us as much artistic
freedom as we wanted. II=I is the album we would have bought ourselves
if we would have found it at the record store.

The
nature of your music (prog metal in general) is doomed not to be
embraced by the large crowds, because of its complexity. How do you feel
about it?

D:
We realize we wont be a No 1 on the Swedish charts... Its too
complex for most listeners. You probably won't like our music if you
intend to listen to it while playing games on your computer or when you're
vacuuming. It needs to be listened to. But what is important to not
forget is that we don't write music because we have to. We strictly
write the music we like and that feels great. Then it doesn't really
matter how many buy it. Many reviewers have written that they first
intended to give II=I a shitty rating after hearing it once, but they
changed their minds once they heard it a couple of times. I think that
music that grows on you after a few listens often bears a mark of
quality. Too bad most people doesn't have the time or energy to sit down
and listen.

Do
you earn your living from your music, or do you have to resort to other
jobs too?

D:
Yeah, I live off playing music. The others have dayjobs.

“Andromeda”
is a name coming directly from Greek mythology. How did you come up with
it?

D:
It was Johans idea. I guess it just sounded cool...

Do
you think that songs like “Mirages” can work as singles to make a
break for the band? Do you keep this in mind when composing?

D:
Yes and no. Often we just write the songs and hopefully they will
fit in somehow. But there are exceptions. Like the opening number,
"Encyclopedia", it was written after we had a cup of java
discussing the album. We realized we needed a strong opening number that
summed up what the new Andromeda sounds like. Said and done.
"Mirages" is actully one of the oldest songs. That one was the
first to be written after Extension... and has been in our live set
since 2000.

What
is your method in composing those complex songs? You must have spent
lots of hours in the studio…

D:
Everything is composed before we enter the studio. All songs are
recorded as demos in either Johan or Martins homestudio. We spent about
10 months on and off in the studio. We didnt wanna leave anything on the
record that we were the least hesistant about. So we spent a lot of time
getting it just the way we wanted it to sound. The mixing alone took
about a month. But you really should ask Martin or Johan because they
write most of the songs. I contribute with writing some melodies and
lyrics. Then Johan sends me a demo without any vocals and i send it back
with my idea of how it should be.

You
must be satisfied with the production of the album accomplished by your
keyboard player Martin. But how come you decided not to hire a
experienced producer?

D:
We talked about it a lot. Martin has a diploma from the Music
Academy as a producer. So we knew he was qualified and he wanted to do
it. So we went with it... and we have no regrets!

What
was the response for the album so far? Are there any plans for a tour?

D:
I think we have gotten good response. Since it΄s so different
from the first album we didn΄t know how everyone would react, but i
must say that most people seem to like it. Touring wise we have some
plans but nothing concrete. We are playing at the Progpower festival in
the fall. As for now thats all that is certain.

And
some Weird Questions now!!! If you were living in Middle Earth (I hope
that you have seen or read the Lord Of The Rings) which character would
you choose to be and why?

D:
Haha tough question... Aragorn I guess. He ends up with all the
women...

Imagine
that your wife/girlfriend is selling your whole album-collection just to
buy for her an expensive, good ring. How would you react?

D:
You know what they did to witches in the mid-evil days? (interviewers
note: Yeap, be sure I know damn well...nice reaction!!!)

How
do you image that the music world could be, one thousand years from now?
And why?

D:
Probably a much wider market. Not so limited to East/West musical
boundries... But that will probably happen within fifty years. After
that i havent got a clue... Maybe we will jam with aliens.

Is
there anything you would like to answer, but I didn’t ask you?

D:
The sun is yellow because... ;) No I think you just about covered
it.